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When they are not too distracting, celebrity cameo appearances in movies are a nice treat for the audience, a bonus of sorts that gives viewers a little something extra to talk about after the credits roll. Directors will often reserve small roles for their favorite collaborators — or themselves — and athlete cameos are relatively commonplace whenever sports are involved.
Cameo appearances by actors playing characters from other movies are far rarer, however, and far more likely to enhance the moviegoing experience for those who recognize the character. Rather than destroying the "suspension of disbelief" that moviegoers are expected to achieve in order to enjoy a fantastical situation or story, a character cameo, when done properly, can actually broaden the fictional universe playing out on screen, making it seem more inter-connected with other fictional universes, more "real." And, sometimes, character cameos are not meant to broaden anything at all, except for the viewer's smile. Click on the link below to check out our list of the best character cameos in movies.
The best character cameos in movies >> Posted 10.03.12 by BrentJS -
In February, it was rumored that Universal was thinking of bringing Fast Five director Justin Lin and screenwriter Chris Morgan on board to create the fifth Terminator movie, now that the rights to the Terminator franchise have been purchased by Santa Barbara-based hedge fund Pacificor. Collider spoke to Lin about the rumor, and asked him whether there was any truth behind it. Lin's answer was unsurprising and land somewhere between "yes" and "maybe" as Lin details that he does have "a take" on a sequel and has already met with the Governator.
what did Lin say? >> Posted 04.16.11 by Ryan -
Actor-turned-Governator Arnold Schwarzenegger revealed last month that he plans to return to acting, a decision that surprised no one considering Schwarzenegger already returned in a cameo in The Expendables last year. Less than a week ago, Schwarzenegger Tweeted that he had given his agents the "green light" to get him another acting role, which could be a return to the Terminator franchise.
Deadline reports that Universal Pictures is looking for another job for Fast Five director Justin Lin and a fifth Terminator movie could be the project. The report says that Universal would ideally pair Lin with Fast Five and Wanted screenwriter Chris Morgan for another attempt at reviving the Terminator franchise.
one Fast and Furious Terminator? >> Posted 02.16.11 by Ryan -
Whether the highly polarizing sequel Terminator Salvation will get its own sequel one day is in doubt, even though the Terminator rights rest safely in the hands of hedge fund Pacificor after the company purchased them at auction last month. Still, at least one Salvation star has an idea for a sequel. Sam Worthington told MTV what he'd like to see should a sequel follow the events of Salvation. No surprise, the plans include his character, the unwitting Terminator Marcus, whose fate in Salvation wasn't as life-sustaining as others.
I had an idea that we'd go back in time to when Marcus was first put in jail. They broke Linda Hamilton out of jail in [Terminator 2: Judgment Day], out of the nuthouse. In this one, they'd have to go back in time and break Marcus out of jail. It's the same kind of mirror image.... He would be more fallible, because he's human; he's not metallic. He can get hurt. He still has the gung-ho attitude, but he can get hurt now.
Worthington admitted that he "really liked playing the character a lot" and would definitely like to return for a sequel.
I'd work with Christian Bale in a flash. I'd work with [director] McG as well. If those two were in it and the story were worth telling and there's a way we can bring Marcus back.
There are no plans to script Worthington's idea currently. "Touch wood, they might listen," said the actor.
Posted 03.24.10 by Ryan -
It's been a wild couple weeks for the Terminator franchise. A week ago, hedge fund Pacificor purchased the rights to the Terminator franchise through an auction, clearly finding the franchise worthy of further sequels. Days later, The Terminator and Terminator 2: Judgement Day co-writer William Wisher complied with ideas for two more sequels.
According to Deadline Hollywood, Wisher has written a 24-page treatment for a fifth and sixth Terminator, which would include elements of Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines and Terminator Salvation, while concentrating on characters Kyle Reece and Sarah Connors, (played by Michael Biehn and Linda Hamilton in the original) in a post-apocalyptic battleground in a story that would involve time travel. The sixth movie would include an appearance by Arnold Schwarzenegger in a role with a surprising twist, and both sequels would include new villains such as "night crawlers" which jump out of the dirt to attack rebel fighters and "shape-shifting cyborgs that can morph together."
While Terminator fans will find satisfaction with Wisher's ideas that would seemingly return the franchise to its former glory, they shouldn't start speculating that Terminator creator James Cameron will come back to the franchise. Cameron told MTV that he has no interest in returning.
I have stepped so far away from the Terminator universe. I know what you know at this point. I'm happy with that. I made a decision a way's back to just let it have its life, you know? From my perspective, it's run its course and I don't know what else to say that hasn't been said. Plus, frankly... the soup's kind of been pissed in a little bit by other filmmakers, so I don't have any personal desire togo back to it. So I certainly wouldn't want to be a dog in the manger and disallow my friends from making a little money off it. Why would I do that?
Posted 02.19.10 by Ryan -
In 2007, Derek Anderson, Victor Kubicek, and their Halcyon Co. purchased the Terminator rights for $25 million. Halcyon produced a TV show, The Sarah Connor Chronicles, and the movie sequel Terminator Salvation. Then The Sarah Connor Chronicles was canceled, and despite Salvation making $371 million in worldwide box office, Halcyon declared bankruptcy. Anderson and Kubicek claimed that their lender, Santa Barbara-based hedge fund Pacificor, pushed them into defaulting on their loan. In order to resolve their debts, the Terminator rights went up for auction. Lionsgate made the first bid, then Sony countered. Neither movie studio won the Terminator rights.
According to Deadline Hollywood, the rights went to debt-holder Pacificor rather than either studio. Lionsgate and Sony had joined forces to win the bid, with Lionsgate planning a reboot of the franchise that would get "back to basics, with real emotional stories, and effects that will be secondary." However, the Sony-Lionsgate team-up was not willing to go as high as Pacificor's $29.5 million dollar bid, so they lost out on the rights.
What Pacificor intends to do with the franchise is unknown at this time, though the move does seem to suggest that, in the current economy, loaning money to producers isn't as financially sound as buying up the rights to the movie franchises themselves.
Posted 02.10.10 by Ryan -
According to Variety, Sony has emerged as a potential challenger to Lionsgate's bid to buy the rights to the Terminator franchise. Originally purchased by Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek of Halcyon Co. from Mario Kassar in 2007 for $25 million, Lionsgate's "stalking horse" or floor bid was considerably lower than that at $15 million plus a 5% cut of future grosses, while Sony's bid is unknown.
Anderson and Kubicek produced 2009's Terminator Salvation, which earned more than $370 million worldwide, but filed Chapter 11 bankruptcy proceedings after failing to make good on their debt to hedge fund lender Pacificor. The pair tried to forestall the necessity of auctioning off the rights to the franchise, arguing in court that it was worth at least $70 million, but were ultimately unsuccessful.
Thursday was the final day for submitting offers and it is likely that there were other bidders besides Sony and Lionsgate, but Halcyon Co. is not commenting. The auction will be held Monday in Los Angeles, with the bankruptcy hearing following on Wednesday. The winner of the auction will control the rights to all future Terminator movies, TV shows, DVDs, and other related merchandise. As the stalking horse bidder, if Lionsgate doesn't win the auction, the winning bidder will have to pay the company a "breakup fee" of $750,000.
Posted 02.06.10 by BrentJS -
While Terminator Salvation may not have made a big impact on fans or critics — it scored only 31% on RottenTomatoes — it still managed to rake in more than $370 million worldwide. So the news that producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek of Halcyon Co. would be forced to auction off the rights to the Terminator franchise following a declaration of bankruptcy came as quite a surprise.
Now, according to Nikki Finke of Deadline Hollywood, Lionsgate has submitted a "stalking horse bid" that has been accepted by Halcyon Co.
So what's a stalking horse bid? An initial bid on a bankrupt company's assets from an interested buyer chosen by the bankrupt company. This allows the distressed firm to avoid receiving lowball bids on its assets. That said, I hear Lionsgate will be named the stalking horse bidder in the bankruptcy sale of the Terminator franchise. Sources tell me it wasn't a competitive auction.
In an update to the article, Finke added that the winning bid might have been "$15 million, plus a gross corridor," which is significantly less than the $25 million Halcyon Co. paid Mario Kassar for those same rights two years ago.
Posted 01.14.10 by BrentJS -
When Bryce Dallas Howard replaced Rachel Lefevre as Victoria in The Twilight Saga: Eclipse, it was her third franchise after Spider-Man and Terminator. However, whether Howard will appear in another Spider-Man or if another Terminator will ever get made is unknown. Howard told ComingSoon that returning for another Spider-Man is possible, even if she hasn't been contacted yet.
I mean, it was really made clear to me when we all did Spider-Man 3 that it was entirely possible that a character could come back or a character could not and this could be just a specific plot line to that film because there's so many stories in the comic book series and you want to pack as much in as possible so it's truly up to [director] Sam [Raimi], up to, you know, the writers and the people who have done such an amazing job protecting that franchise and choosing the best story lines for audiences and I'm a fan first.
Terminator Salvation director McG plans to make more Terminator movies, which is great news for Howard who would love to make another. It's just a matter of whether a sequel gets made.
I haven't signed anything that would obligate them to me or me to them or anything like that because it was ... that film was made with a lot of humility, you know, it's like we'll do this one the best that we can and if people ask for more then they ask for me. But, it's an incredible group. We are all fiercely committed to the story, I mean, it's Terminator for goodness sakes. So, yeah, if that comes about I would, you know ... and if I should be so lucky that they invite me back, I would be loathed to walk away from that.
Howard's next movie is the upcoming period piece The Loss of A Teardrop Diamond, which opens in limited release later this month. Howard makes her Twilight debut next summer, in what will likely be just the beginning for Howard's run in the Twilight franchise.
I don't want to give anything away, but there's – Victoria has a lifespan is what I'll say.
Posted 12.11.09 by Ryan -
Despite the rights for the Terminator franchise being put up for auction, McG remains confident that he will direct more Terminator movies. During a B-D Live chat, the Terminator Salvation director told fans that he plans to direct both the fifth and sixth Terminator movies even though Salvation performed poorly at the domestic box office.
Producers Derek Anderson and Victor Kubicek's Halcyon production company still currently own the rights, but they have sunk to selling off Salvation's props and costumes to cover their debts, so it's a surprise to hear McG sound so confident that he will continue helming the series. Clearly, he's banking on the statement Halcyon sent out last week:
When Halcyon announced the bidding process for the Terminator franchise last month, we indicated that in addition to an outright sale of the property, we would also consider other strategic options, including a recapitalization of the company. Over the past few weeks Halcyon and its professionals have engaged in in-depth discussions and negotiations with numerous serious potential buyers, including several major movie studios. In addition, a number of attractive refinancing alternatives have also been presented. In order to maximize the value of a transaction for all of the company's creditors and stakeholders, we are fully analyzing all these options. As a result, we will not be committing to a 'stalking horse' bid at this time. Nonetheless, given the significant positive interest in the Terminator franchise, we expect to be in a position to announce a successful sale or recapitalization no later than February 1, 2010.
Should Halcyon be able to "recapitalize" and hold onto the Terminator rights, it would still be surprising if they allowed McG to continue to direct more Terminator movies considering all they've been through. The only person it wouldn't surprise is McG.
Posted 12.07.09 by Ryan